Storytime, my little ones
by candelight
Summary: Splinter has to read his sick two year old turtles a bedtime story. They all want him to read THEIRS! This could only end in chaos….Hope you like! Please review!


Splinter has to read his sick two year olds a bedtime story. They all want him to read THEIRS! This could only end in chaos….^^

I don't own TMNT-Would be awesome if I did-and I do not own any of the stories listed here-also would be awesome if I did.

Dedicated to:

Rhonda J, for awesome views, inspiration, and HILARIOUS TMNT fanfiction

To Mikell, for incredible philosophy and great fanfiction, both beautiful and wonderfully sweet. Also A TMNT writer. ^^

And Second Daughter of Eve, who has been incredibly kind as to keep positive reviews to my work.

Thanks....now I'm getting all choked up...

AHEM! (Snaps to attention) Ooookay....Really hope you all like!

By the way...I keep putting poetry before I do works...does that bother anyone?

This one's kind of childish...^^ Hey, didn't I say TODDLER TMNT?

_"Hello book!  
_

_What are you up to?  
_

_Keeping yourself to yourself,  
_

_shut in between your covers,  
_

_a prisoner high on a shelf.  
_

_come in book!  
_

_What is your story?  
_

_Haven't you ever been read?  
_

_Did you think  
_

_I would just pass by you  
_

_And pick me a comic instead?  
_

_No way, book!  
_

_I'm your reader  
_

_I open you up.  
_

_Set you free.  
_

_Listen, I know a secret!  
_

_Will you share your secrets with me?"_

Splinter smiled and picked up another novel that was resting on top of it's mate.

It was utterly amazing....what humans threw away on a regular basis.

Still...it benefited him greatly, as the little books libraries and book stores could not get rid of ended of in dumpsters. He needed to learn how to

READ English as well as struggle to SAY it.

Well....that wasn't entirely true. About benefiting him.

It benefited four little ones....

Speaking of which, he hoped they still slept easy. No less then two days ago, Leo had had a small coughing fit at dinner.

And he coughed....

And coughed.

This one would NOT go away. Splinter looked up anxiously, getting halfway up. It sounded like he was choking!

Just as Splinter felt panic strike him and wondered if he should do heimlich, Leo recovered slightly, face very tired and wan looking, eyelids

fluttering.

Splinter carefully took Leo into his arms, the other turtles looking at the two curiously.

"Are you alright, my little one? _Omaesan sukoyaka_?" Splinter spoke to the turtles gingerly in English, and more naturally in Japanese.

Splinter believed it important to teach them both languages....as their languistic skills were just picking up. They could say things like "Spwiner,

"yes," "no," and "father" in English. In Japanese, they could say "Hai," "Natte," "Papa-san" and "Pocky,"-Pocky being the Turtles' favorite sweet.

Yay, Pocky! ^^

Splinter smiled gently before gently tugging a squirming, bright eyed Michelangelo, a curiously looking Donatello, and a nervous looking Raph, who

had peeped at the two from his fingers.

Better safe then sorry. Splinter smiled and carefully trotted away. Might as well get these to bed.

"Early bedtime, little ones," commented Splinter with a smile, tucking them all in their small crate they used at a bed.

Raph squirmed.

"Awwww!"

Splinter smiled once again, and tucked the blankets more securely around the little ones.

Perhaps ten seconds of fussing....

Then....three....

...two...

..one.....

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.......

My. That was quicker then normal. Splinter blinked.

Ah, well-it was probably due to the lack of humidity in the air....it was a pleasant change...but it was much colder beneath the N.Y.C streets...and

the human-er...body in question wasn't used to the ew, frosty nights and the chill in the breeze.

The turtles would be turning two soon....that was a pleasant thought.

The turtles were really too young to know when and what a birthday was....but it was most certainly a special day to Splinter....it was, after all,

the drop spindle of fate for him and his little family....

It would be pleasant, to simply have all of the housework and daily scrounging finished...then, to spend a pleasant, quiet day with his little

ones...perhaps reading a few tales...they did love that very much...just as much as they loved their "training."

They didn't have very good coordination yet, as not yet toddlers....they could only stand for so long before they wobbily had to _plunk!_ straight

down...or, for some reason, balance themselves on their _hands._

Wait....did they have hands?

Ah, well. Splinter tucked each turtle moe tightly in with an affectionate pat on the head. Hopefully, the others were not coming down with

something....

Just let them get a bit of sleep...they would be fine.

Feeling reassured, Splinter turned to reread for the umpteemth time:_ Grande arte rinascimentale dei secoli: le quattro artigiani di potere: Leonardo, _

_Raffaello, Donatello, Michelangelo._

_(If any of you can read Italian, you'll know what it says. ^^ You probably already have a pretty good idea.) _

Things could only get better.

It made Splinter give a hollow laugh, now.

Things had gotten _worse._

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the morning, Splinter sleepily blinked, streching before he stiffly stood.

And paused...

It was...too still.

Very disconcerting....

Splinter decided to quickly check the little ones....

He'd hurried in...

And stopped dead.

Leo was coughing, practically blue in the face.

Then Donatello would not stop sneezing....

Michelangelo's face was aflame with fever....

And Raphael was achy and fretful.

Splinter had to keep dashing from one turtle to another that day. One turtle would be gagging, another sobbing, another burning....

Oogh. He hated it when the turtles were ill. It worried him excessively. Down here, a simple cold could turn to influenza, influenza to pnuemonia..

Splinter shuddered, and rose. Perhaps he better check and see if-

"_AAAAAAAAAAAA_!"

Well, that answered Splinter's question. Sighing and muttering something that sounded like, "Kids..." he then hurried off.

Michelangelo was mewing-his face burning, but gooseflesh everywhere else. Ah...he accidentally kicked it off.

_Please don't wake the- _Splinter prayed silently.

Don's eyes snapped open.

And then Raph's....

...and Leo's.

Oy, vey. This was going to be a long day. Donatello blinked, puzzled, then his eyes teared up...

"Shhh...." Splinter comforted, scooping up the middle brother. "There, now. Are we feeling better today, Donatello?"

Don hiccuped, but then gave a wan smile. "Ugh," he commented, weakly tweaking Spinter's nose.

Splinter blinked as Mikey giggled. Well...now that they were awake, might as well brew up some watered down peppermint tea for their

stomachs....

Scooping up each turtle, Splinter carried each to the living room next to a stash of children's books no one had been reading at the Library.

"Stay here, little ones," he said gently, smiling a bit. "Why don't you pick out a story for me to read to you?"

Raph blinked. Splinter smiled and strode to the kitchen.

Leo frowned a bit....everything was hazy....unfocused. He still didn't feel very well.

He briefly thought about crying for Splinter, but then something colorful caught his eye: A book with a yellow bear holding hands with a boy and a

pink little piglet. Curious, Leo reached for the little book.

In silver lettering, it read, _The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh._

Interested, Leo carefully and clumsily opened the book to where a bear in a nightcap was holding a candle and talking to a smiling little tiger.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mikey hiccuped. This was awful! His head hurt, his stomach hurt, his, well...everything hurt, and nothing, I mean nothing, was going to distract him

from his mise-

Ooh! What was that? A Mouse wearing overalls? The only rodent he ever saw wearing clothes was father....Mikey had to trn the book around

curiously about six times before he realized that it DID open.

A boy and a mouse....

_If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. _

_If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. _

_He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim...._

Of course, none of the turtles could read, but it was nice looking at it anyway. Mikey smiled jovially and went on.

Raph frowned. Boy, was this boring. It was too hot, and yet too cold...he sank onto his shell, giving a sorrowful sigh.

Ouch! Raph leaned against something hard! Raph frowned and leaned over a bit.

There was a furry green character with yellow eyes and a nasty expression. Curiousity piquied, Raph leaned over a bit and awkwardly picked up

the little retangle.

_The Whos down in Whoville, liked Chistmas a lot._

_But the Grinch, who lived up in a mount beside Whoville....did NOT._

Raph smiled a bit. The fuzzy green character kept complaining, judging by the pictures. He could relate....

Wow....books. Don was interested by anything new. With wondering eyes, he looked at the boxes stuffed full of colorful retangles.

Well...they were colorful. And square.

That seemed to be about it. Disappointed, Don turned to cry for Splinter when a blue engine caught his eye...

Wow...it looked just like the little blue car Spwiner had given to him once! Carefully, Don reached for it.

_The Little Engine That Could _

Wait...how was it ALIVE? Interested, Don carefully let it flop open.

"_I think I can, I __think I can, I think I can...."_

Spellbound, Don looked on.

Splinter entered the room with four steaming little cups. He smiled to see the little ones so interested.

"Teatime, little ones," he called, and four little faces turned to look at him. "Did you pick out a book for me to read to you?"

The turtles blinked, and looked at each other.

"THWIS Won!" exclaimed each turtle, to the amusement and exasperation of a certain rat.

The Ever Loving End ^^

Whew! I did it! ^^ I have a choir performance tonight, so I wanted to get this one done....Ohayo gozaimasu everyone! Hope you liked it!


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